I had a main line blockage in a 4 unit apartment the a week ago. One tenant used the washing machine and as it discharged water backed into the tub AND seeped out of the base of the toilet of a downstream apartment.

I was notified and I called a plumber emergency service, they came and went up to the roof (single story building with flat roof) and snaked it from the 4" vent. The blockage was cleared.

Now regarding the bathroom with water seeping out of the base...I asked the plumber at the time, since he was there, how much he charges to remove and reset the toilet with a new wax ring, since the old wax ring seal is now broken by the back pressure when the main line was clogged. He said "I will let you in on a secret and save you some money, the wax seal is soft, it's been working, the blockage caused the water to back up into the tub and toilet, and water seeped out, as the blockage is cleared, the water went back down, and the wax ring being soft, will reseal with the flange, nothing to worry about, it's Sunday and the office is charging you 1.5X the normal rate for emergency service, so don't waste your money and I need to get back home to my family."

I still think the wax ring needs replacing. I went back the next day and flushed the toilet ten times in succession to see if water seeps out, but no. Now the entire bowl was caulked at the base from 10'0' clock to 2'O'clock and the back is unsealed. Is he right that the wax will reseal itself? I don't think it would once broken.

Even with a defective toilet gasket, wax or foam rubber, most of the time, there will be no water leaks as long as the drain is flowing freely. The leak will occur the next time the drain clogs again. There could be sewer gas leaking into the house.
I don't think wax gaskets heal themselves.
If the drain flange is horizontal and not tilted, you might be able to use a rubber gasket instead of wax. The rubber will not give way the next time there is water backing up into the toilet.



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yes my concern is the wax ring has been blown out and sewer gas will enter because the toilet S trap is above in the toilet bowl.

I'm happy with Fernco FTS-3/4 seals. They seal perfectly, last forever, are reusable. It's the first on this page: [www.plumbingsupply.com]

I will second that fernco waxless seal, however it is hard to get it to seal to the toilet unless it's a new toilet

I've installed them on 20-year-old toilets that had leaked around the old seal, required a lot of cleaning. I get it completely clean, rinse with water to get all the soap off, then isopropanol (91%), then let it dry completely. It takes time but beats dealing with leaks later. For rear-discharge toilets it's indispensable.

you can always wipe a thin coat of wax on top of the rubber gasket